Elizabeth Werrenrath, age 110, is now a validated American supercentenarian.
Elizabeth Werrenrath was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA, on 28 January 1914. She attended Walnut Hill School for the Arts, an all-girls private boarding school in Natick, Massachusetts, graduating in 1931. Betty met her future husband, Reinald Jr., while attending Wells College. Their engagement and wedding were announced in The New York Times in 1937. An athlete and scholar, Betty served as class president and worked at the Met Museum while Reinald pursued a career in broadcasting, eventually launching Chicago’s first TV station. The couple eventually had 3 children.
On her wedding day in 1937.
(Source: Evanston RoundTable)
The Werrenraths settled in Evanston in 1940, where they started their family. While her husband served in the Navy during WWII, she stayed with her family in New York. After the war, they moved to Highland Park for over 50 years. The couple became active advocates for human rights and education, volunteering for causes like Meals on Wheels and youth literacy programs.
In 1998, the couple moved to a townhouse in Presbyterian Homes in Evanston. In 2018, her husband suffered a stroke at the age of 103. They moved to a new apartment in assisted living, but her husband passed away in August 2019 at the age of 104.
On her 107th birthday.
(Source: Wells College Association of Alumnae and Alumni)
In February 2024, shortly after her 110th birthday, she was interviewed on the “Women Over 70: Aging Reimagined” Podcast.
For more information, please view Mrs. Werrenrath’s Directory Profile here.
